They aren't oak. They aren't pine. They aren't palm, fir, redwood, dogwood, or eucalyptus. Truth is, I don't know what kind of trees they are. But they're growing near my place of employment, and ever since (what we in Phoenix call...) "Winter" got here, they've been standing there all undressed.
I never paid much notice to these trees until they lost their leaves. Then I found them really interesting, particularly because of the lighting at night. They stand directly below tall street lights which give them a very stark, harsh, and dramatic appearance once it gets dark.
I had been thinking for a month or more that I really ought to photograph these trees, and last Saturday, I finally remembered to borrow brother Nappy's cell phone before going to work so I could take some pictures about 10:00 P.M.
Unfortunately, these little cell phone camera photos don't come anywhere near to doing the trees justice. Much of the effect that I appreciate is lost. Nevertheless, I'm posting these shots below because they do, at least, hint at how cool the real things look up close and personal. (Although you don't ever want to get TOO personal with a tree.)
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While I was preparing to post these photos above, I was reminded of another "tree picture" - one that I myself did not take but which I really dig. Below is one of my all-time favorite celebrity photos. I don't know who the photographer was nor when the picture was taken, but it shows singer/songwriter Tom Waits up a tree. (But it was better than being "Up Sh#t Creek Again", wasn't it Tom?)
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . [Tomcat Up A Tree]
I'd bet a Bit O'Change that it was Ol' Tom who came up with the idea for this picture and not the photographer; it just has that "Made In The Mind Of Tom Waits" stamp all over it.
Now, if I could just convince the dude to come to the location where I work and stand in MY trees for awhile . . .
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Don't know what the tree is but the lighting makes it look pretty interesting-- like it's covered with snow or frost.
ReplyDeleteNever saw that Tom Waits pic. Where's it from?
Lee
rLEE-b ~
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's exactly right: the cell phone photos make the trees look as if they're covered with frost or snow. But in reality, that's not how they look at all; they look - I dunno... "different." That's why I was disappointed with the pictures - they didn't convey what it is I find so striking about the trees in actuality. I guess it's just one of those things where "you had to be there."
The Tom Waits photo I somehow bumped into a few years ago while surfing the web and then for the longest time couldn't locate again. But I've discovered that if one just Google's "Images Tom Waits" it can be found posted in numerous places on the www.
~ "Lonesome Dogg" McMe